WAGE TWO
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1966
PAGE TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1966
THEATRE
New Blood Makes
'Ruddigore' a Hit
FILMS
Tariety Lights':
Trite, Contrived
.................T IN........
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN E
By JOHN CRUMB, JR.
Every large institution has its
traditions, but few of them are as
nice as the University's Gilbert
and Sullivan Society. For pure.
ent'ertainment last night's perfor-
mance has hardly been matched
on campus this season, because of
the Society's remarkable color and
enthusiasm (to be challenged, I
understand, only by a Gilbert and
Sullivan party).
The Society's New Blood took
all the lead parts in this produc-
tion, pushing old favorites like
Susan Morris, Gershom Morning-
star and John Allen into the rum-
ble seat. Charlie Sutherland is now
driving.
While Gilbert's librettos are
peopled with eccentric characters,
his heroes are usually simple, di-
rect and possibly boring. They are
the victims of improbable circum-
stance and their problems are
solved by more improbable cir-
cumstance. Because they lack in-
itiative, they are difficult to play..
Self-Confidence
Charles Sutherland as Sir Ruth-
ven Murgatroyed lacks the self-
confidence to put that central
character over. But by the second
act Murgatroyed, by then a sec-
ondary character to the more gen-
eral happy resolutions of the play,
is free to ham it up a la Gilbert
and Sullivan, which Charlie does
very well,
Lucy Becker, as Rose Maybud,
also new to G&S, flits like a co-
quettish butterfly in her favors
between Richard Dauntless (Greg
Isaacs), Sir Ruthven, and even
alights once on that glutted black
spider, wicked Sir Despard Mur-
gatroyed (John Allen). While she
has a fine voice, Miss Becker lacks
that grace of movement onstage
that Dame Hannah (Kathy Kim-
mel) possesses.
But Miss Becker was fortunately
matched musically with Richard
Dauntless (Greg Isaacs), and par-
ticularly in a duet in the first act.
Isaacs moved monkey-like across
the stage, and his agility and
bright costume made him a visual
delight.
All the foregoing actors could
not surpass Gershom Morningstar
and John Allen for slick, effec-
tive acting. As a reformed baronet,
Mr. Allen acted with Mad Mar-
garet (Julie Amato) with a dig-
nity rendered hilarious by their
bumbly lapses into their old char-
acters (first act).
Girsh Morningstar was cast into
a pitiably small role, but as the
chief spectre, we glimpsed at the
glory of some of his past charac-
terizations.
The men's chorus, while bril-
liantly costumed, didn't sing as
well as they looked, and sang flat
all through the madrigal.
In Tune
Mort Achter's orchestra was pre-
cise, played in tune and didn't
drown out the singers; that is,
when we couldn't hear Charlie
sing, it was no fault of the orches-
tra, rather of Charlie's voice. The
balance between the strings and
the brass was unusually fine: for
once the horns played with self-
restraint and accuracy.
The set design for the first act
was perhaps cluttered by the
background posies and nets, but
the flowery tree was a marvelous
creation. Yet the chorus unfor-
tunately could make only one en-
trance onto the main stage, only
two upstage. This was a severe
limitation considering the length
of the first act.
Ray Beard's design for the sec-
ond act, especially the picture
frames, was startlingly effective.
Here Mr. Beard could afford to be
more decorative, his set less sparse.
Costumes were not only bright,
but an especifically effective con-
tribution to the whole production,
making a striking visual contrast
between actors.
Allen Schreiber is apparently
priming the Society for better'
times, in encouraging newcomers
to take leading parts. The old
clique has been broken up, and
somehow performances are getting
better and better.
By PAUL SAWYER
Federico Fellini, the P. T. Bar-
num of the cinema, whose extrav-
aganzas display, in laughter and
tears, the vast three-ring circus
of humanity, made his first film
nearly two decades ago. "Variety
Lights" was co-directed by Alber-
to Lattuada, and Fellini wrote the
screenplay. It was a humble be-
ginning.
Yet it clearly bears its maker's
stamp, containing many of the
elements he was to use, generally
with more success, in his later
films. That is to say, it deals, in
part or in whole, with showmen;
it celebrates the heartaches and
self-discoveries of little people;
and it bears the typical Fellini
bittersweetness-a sense of phil-
osophic calm that transcends the
frustrations of the characters and
which is at once sympathetic and
strangely impersonal.,
Signor Checco (Peppino de Fe-
lipe) leads a troupe of sagging
dancers and singers that strug-
gle in vain against their own
mediocrity to earn a living. For-
tunes change abruptly when a
stagestruck and starry-eyed girl
(the gorgeous Carla del Paggio)
sits across from Checco on a
train. She joins the troupe and is
an instant success, and Checco
follows her to Rome to engineer
her upward climb.;
Pathos
But as Fellini is rarely interest-
ed in successes, he concentrates his
attention on the pathetic attempts
of the inept Checco first to main-
tain the girl's favor and then to
gather together another troupe
gleaned from the Roman slums.
He is scorned, pitied, and thrown
out of his hotel; in the end, he is
taken back by his original com-
pany (and his fiancee, the ever-
loyal Giulietta Masina), to finish
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out his life in the rounds of obliv-
ion.
Yet as is usual with Fellini,
there is little bitterness in his
film. Checco is too much a good
joe to be capable of tragic suf-
fering,
At the end, when a second beau-
tiful girl sits across from CheccoI
in his train, we know it will all
continue in much the same way as
before. Checco becomes part of
Fellini's merry-go-round, the pro-
totypical struggling little man, al-
ways undaunted, always a clown.
Smallness of Checco
Yet it is to a degree the small-
ness of Checco that makes this
film, in the end, uninteresting. He
is simply a good-natured fellow, a
point which is made clearly in the
film and repeated throughout with
little development. Fellini decor-
ates his protagonist's downward
path with, as usual, fascinating
vignettes and bizarre characters
-the trumpet-playing Negro hobo
the flophouse sharpshooter, the
polly lecher who owns the mediev-
al mansion.
"Variety Lights" is interesting
only as a comparison with Fellini's
later work; Despite a few amusing
moments, it is on the whole super-
ficial, contrived, and quite dull.
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Student organization notices are not
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THURSDAY, MARCH 24
Day Calendar
Management Development Seminar-
"The Disciplinary Process and Grievance
Handling": Rackham Bldg., 8:30 a.m.
Bureau of Industrial Relations Sem-
inar-" How to Install a White-Collar
Grievance System": Michigan Union,
8:30 p.n.
Prognammed Learning for Business
Seminar-"Orientation to Programmed
Learning": Michigan Union, 8:30 a.m.
Mental Health Research Institute
Seminar-Jack Durell, M.D., National
Institute of Mental Health, "Thyroid
Function and Psychoses" : 1057 MHRI,
2:15 p.m.
History of Art Dept. Lecture-Lorenz
Eitner, Dept. of Art and Architecture,
Stanford University, California, "G~ri-
cault's 'Raft of the Medusa'": Aud. B.
Angell Hall, Angell Hall, 4:10 p.m.
Dept. of Economics W. S. Woytinsky
Lecture-Gary S. Becker, Dept. of Eco-
i
nomics, Columbia University, "Human
Capital and the Personal Distribution
of Income": Rackham Amphitheatre,
4:10 p.m.
Near Eastern Languages and Litera-
tures Lecture-John A. Wilson, profes-
sor of Egyptology, University of Chi-
cago, "How to Save a Temple": Aud. D,
Angell Hall, 4:15 p.m.
Cinema Guild - Fellini's "Variety
Lights": Architecture Aud., 7 and 9 p.m.
Office of Religious Affairs University
Lecture - Phillip Berrigan, Josephite
priest, "Non-violence, Civil Rights, and
the Peace Movement": Multipurpose
Room, Undergraduate Library, 8 p.m.
School of Music Degree Recital -
Michael David Sandgarten. oboist: Re-
cital Hall, School of Music, 8:30 p.m.
Speech Dept. Student Laboratory The-
atre: Presents as its 11th production of
the 1965-66 season, selected scenes from
Aristophanes' "Lysistrata." You are cor-
dially invited to attend the admission-
free public performance. Thurs., March
24, at 4:10 p.m. sharp. The place is the
Arena Theatre, Frieze Bldg.
Graduate School of Business Admin-
istration-Finance Club- Developments
in the Capital Markets," by James J.
O'Leary, director of economic research
for the Life Insurance Association of
America, on Thurs., March 24, at 4
p.m. in Room 131 Bus. Admin.
(Continued on Page 8)
LIVE AT
5 Itty
JIM BRIGNALL
JOHN MILLER
BLL IVY
TOGETHER
FRIDAY
G103 S.Q., Open 8:30
4
CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL
presents
UBU CORNUTATUS
by ALFRED JARRY
starring
DONALD HALL
THOMAS J. GARBATY
LITTLE THEATRE, FRIEZE BUILDING (ROOM 2065)
MARCH
MARCH
24, 8:00 P.M.
25, 8:30 P.M.
SYMPOSIUM,
MARCH 25, 10 P.M.
ADMISSION FREE
MARCH 26, 8:30 P.M.
I-_
-
NOW!
-ai I~CIill
Shows at
1:00-3:40-
6:20-9:05
I
i
'An absorbing and gripping
What really went on when the movie about that exclusive
girls got together at Vassar 'Group' E"-Det. Free Press
GRUP"
THIS PICTURE is RECOMMENDED FOR ADUE"*
INS MASTE RPCE
FELUIN HIS FIRST IN COLOR!
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
MEN'S GLEE CLUB
SPRING Co
Saturday, April' 2...8
NCR
1:30 P. M.
Across Campu
THURSDAY, March 24
2:00 and 8:00 p..-The Pack-
ard Avenue Playreaders will ap-
pear in the world premiere of Al-
fred Jarry's "Ubu Cornutatus" in
the Little Theatre of the Frieze
Bldg.
2:15 p..-Jack Durell, M.D., of
the National Institute of Mental
Health will conduct a seminar on
"Thyroid Function arnd Psychoses"'
in Room 1057, Mental Health Re-
search Institute.
4:10 p.m. - Lorenz Eitner of
Stanford University will lecture on
"Gericault's 4Raft of the Medusa'"
in Aud. B, Angell Hall.
4:10 p.m. - Gary S. Becker of
Columbia University will speak on
"Human Capital and the Personal
Distribution of Income" in the
Rackham Amphitheatre.
7:00 and 9:00 p.m. - Fellini's
"Variety Lights" will be shown in
the Architecture Aud.
7:30 p.m. -Dr. Stephen Spurr,
d e a n of Rackham Graduate
School, will conduct the third of a
series of illustrated lectures on
"Bioeconomics of Great Rivers of
the World" in the Rackham
Amphitheatre.
8:00 p.mj - Philip Berrigan,
Josephite priest, will speak on'
"Non-violence, Civil Rights, and
the Peace Movement" in the Mul-
tipurpose Room, Undergraduate
Library.
FRIDAY, March 25
8:30 a.m.-A seminar on "Orien-
tation to Programmed Learning"
will be held in the Micliigan
Union.
7:00 and 9:00 p.m. - Fellini's
"Variety of Lights" will be shown
in the Architecture Aud.
8:00 p.m.-The Newman Stu-
dent Association will present
Father Philip Berrigan, S.S.J.
speaking on "Pacem in Terris and
the ProblemN of War" in Aud. A.
Father Barrigan has been a fre-
quent speaker on the war in Viet
Nam and has participated in the
civil rights movement.
8:30 p.m. - The University
Chamber Choir, conducted' by
Thomas Hilbish, will give a con-
cert, free of charge, devoted to the
choral music of Bach in Rackham
Lecture Hall.
8:30 p.m.-The Packard Avenue
Playreaders will appear in the
world premiere of Alfred Jarry's
"Uba Cornutatus" in the Little
Theatre of the Frieze Bldg.
8:30 p.m.-The University Sym-
phony Orchestra, conducted by
Josef Blatt and Theo Alcantarilla,
will appear in Hill Aud.
pOKInG FORASH OW7BLDW fYUR COOL?
In PANAVISION-And METROCOLOR
Shown at 7:14-10:30
ELVIS PRE LEY %
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4 CUMMGSEORGE SINY PRODUCTON
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ALSO-At 9:00 Only
2 Cartoons & Featurette
NOW OPEN EVERY NITE
"What are you doing after the Concert?"
Block Carder Requests Submitted by
Thursday, March 24, 3:00 P.M. -SGC Office
General Ticket Sales Start Monday, March 28
f I
Ticket Prices: $2.50
$2.00
$1.50
I
*TONIGHT
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society
presents
at Lydia Mendelssohn
March 24, 25, 26
BOX OFFICE OPEN-8:30 A.M. 'TIL CURTAIN
Thursday, March 24-$1.50
Friday, March 25-$2.00
Sat. Mat. & Sat. Night-SOLD OUT
ANGELO RIZZOLI
FEDERICO FELLINI
GIULIETTAMASINA
TECHNICOLORe SANDRA MILO
whSYLVA KOSCINA
MARIOPISU- VALENTINA CORTESE-LOU GILBERT- CATERINA BORATTO.SILVANAJACHINO
LUISADELLANOCE - JOSE DEVILLALONGA - WALESKA GERT - FREDRICH LEDESUR
ORIGINAL sroRYFEDERICO FELLINI - TULLIOPINELLI SCREENPLAYFEDERICO FELLIN,
TODAY at I
6:45 & 9:00 *STR=fTO .
/Rf~ttNI
II
-fill
I
Shows Start at 1 :00-3 00
5:00-7:00 and 9:05
HELD
A
i
...m.....
I
CINEMA
II
PRESENTS
HITCHCOCK'S
GREATEST
COMEDY
THE TROUBLE
WITH HARRY
STARRING
y 9
TOGTheg a ot l oln 9
G II TA A
°
Sat/Sn.
Because of the great response to this engagement, we are
moving across the street in the basement of St. Andrew's
Church in order to have more room for dancing, and dancing,
4,
I
III
I F --UNIE 1
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1111
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